Chapter 698   - More Than Enough (2)

It had been more than a week since she and Zhang Jiren had returned from Beijing, but Li Meili hadn't seen her husband ever since he left in a hurry after their lunch with the Feng family. If her mother and Zhang Jiren hadn't warned her before, Li Meili would assume that he was trying to avoid her these days.

According to Zhang Jiren's housekeeper, who was helping Li Meili keep the place clean and accompanying her, Zhang Jiren would come home late at night, usually past midnight when she was deep asleep in her own room. He would take a nap for a few hours and wake up to immediately leave before the day breaks for work.

It was really impossible for Li Meili to see him under such circ.u.mstances, unless she stayed awake and awaited for his return. However, because of her delicate condition, Li Meili felt more exhausted than usual. She had started to take short naps in the afternoon after doing some sketching in her room. She would then wake up when the sun was down and had dinner that was waiting for her.

Li Meili sighed, placed her pencil down and stared at her work. She was now starting to see some improvements in her design. If this keeps up, she would be able to finish her entry on time and wouldn't have to worry about the competition anymore.

She had accepted that so many prominent designers apart from newcomers who are full of potential would participate this year, so Li Meili conditioned her mind not to be upset if ever she lost the competition. So long that it wasn't that dumb Li Ruoyan who would beat her. She would only acknowledge defeat to a deserving and talented person, which was surely not that woman.

"Madam, aren't you tired? You must not forget that Master Jiren said you shouldn't overwork yourself." Elder Lan, the old housekeeper who had been working for Zhang Jiren for years, came into the study and placed a tray with fruit juice and some snacks on the desk.

"Thank you, Auntie." Li Meili smiled and tidied up her desk. She still wasn't used to sharing a place with other people as she'd been living on her own for a long time.

Now that she was married, it was only natural that she shared the place with Zhang Jiren, although the man had been absent most of the time. Thinking about it, Li Meili decided to talk to the old housekeeper. Perhaps she might know more about her husband.

"Auntie, didn't you say you are working with Jiren for sometime now? When did you start working for him?" She asked Elder Lan.

The old woman hummed and rubbed her chin as she tried to remember her first meeting with CEO Zhang.

"I think ever since he returned and finished his studies in Beijing. You might not know, but we've known each other since he was a high school student. His friends usually dropped by at a noodle stall my family used to run back then."

"Then what happened, Auntie?" Li Meili started nibbling on her snacks, her attention zeroed to the old woman who had taken a seat next to her desk.

"Oh, well you see. My husband died and my son moved with his newly wedded wife to start a family somewhere back then. When Master Jiren and his colleagues came by to our stall, they were disappointed to see that we had already ceased operation. Master Jiren offered some financial support for me to keep it going but I declined." Elder Lan laughed behind her hand and remembered the old days.

Zhang Jiren wasn't a person who talked too much, in fact, she never heard him initiate a conversation before. But to think that he would offer her such an opportunity, it was only then when she realized that he was socially awkward and didn't have a lot of friends and acquaintances.

"I rejected his offer."

"But why? Li Meili asked curiously. Perhaps the cost of the funeral for the old woman's husband had made it impossible for them to continue their small business, but if Zhang Jiren extended an olive branch, then perhaps they still had a chance and he'd seen it.

"Because I'm not that strong anymore." Elder Lan said. "I'm getting old and my joints won't be able to keep up with the amount of work we used to have when running our stall. Although I appreciate his offer, I would rather ask him to help me find a job that wouldn't require too much movements in my old age."

"So Zhang Jiren chose to hire you and the other two maids to keep his place clean?" Li Meili was impressed with this old woman. She wasn't like other old women she met in the past who kept on complaining about their ages, refusing to work anymore.

"En." The old woman nodded. "Actually, the maids come here every other day to do the laundry and some cleaning to make sure everything is tidy whenever Master Jiren comes home from work. I usually stay up to six in the afternoon to prepare his dinner, but since he rarely comes home in time these days, I don't need to cook meals for him."

"How about his family? Do they come here often?" Li Meili started to probe the Zhang family. The more she knew about them, the better. She also needed to know how her husband's relationship with them was and if he was one with them.

Elder Lan's expression turned sour, a change that Li Meili didn't miss.

"Ah, his father only came here once, but usually it was his half-brothers who would come here to cause trouble."

"Cause trouble?"

"Well, yes. It's obvious that they don't like Master Jiren very much and I'm sure he reciprocated their feelings. It must be really hard to be born into such a wealthy family. It was surprising how a person is willing to forget kinship just because of their greed for money."